2011-12 Toronto Maple Leafs season
The 2011–12 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 95th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 22, 1917. The team failed to make the playoffs for the 7th straight season. Off-Season At the 2011 NHL Draft, Brian Burke fulfilled his pledge to trade up in the First Round, trading the 30th (Rickard Rakell) and 39th (John Gibson) Picks to Anaheim in exchange for the 22nd Pick, which was used to select Tyler Biggs. The Leafs also selected Stuart Percy with 25th Pick. The Leafs made two key Free Agent additions, adding centers Tim Connolly from Buffalo and Philippe Dupuis from Colorado. The Leafs also added to their blue line by trading Brett Lebda and prospect Robert Slaney to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Cody Franson and center Matthew Lombardi. The Leafs suffered no major losses during the off-season, however Tim Brent, who had an impressive season with the Leafs was signed by the Carolina Hurricanes and veteran goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere was acquired by the Colorado Avalanche. Other Leafs to go included Danny Richmond (Washington), Christian Hanson, (Washington) and Fabian Brunnstrom (Detroit). On October 4 the Leafs traded their 4th Round Pick at the 2012 Draft to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for center David Steckel. Prior to the beginning of the regular season, the Leafs unveiled new Alternate Jerseys, similar to the ones they used when they last won the Stanley Cup in 1967. Pre-Season They went 4–4 in preseason. Regular season The Leafs got off to a fast start, winning their first three games and seven of their first ten, finishing October in first place in the Northeast Division, second in the Conference. Phil Kessel was the NHL's leading points scorer with 18, and leading goal scorer with 10. James Reimer was the starting goaltender for the first five games, but was injured in his next start when Montreal's Brian Gionta struck Reimer in the jaw while fighting for the puck. Early in the season the Leafs power play has dramatically improved, with a 21.6% conversion rate, good for third in the league as of December 17, 2011. However, when shorthanded they had been less efficient with a 73.0% kill rate, the worst in the NHL. On February 9, 2012, the NHL announced that the Leafs would play the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium for the 2013 NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2013. With the Leafs falling out of the playoff race and in the midst of losing 10 of their last 11 games, including a 6 game losing streak, head coach Ron Wilson was fired and replaced by Randy Carlyle on March 2, 2012.Carlyle Replaces Wilson As Leafs Head Coach Playoffs The Maple Leafs attempted to finally qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2003–04 NHL season. The Hockey News predicted that the Leafs will place tenth and miss the playoffs. The Maple Leafs have since been eliminated from playoff contention. Standings Schedule and results Pre-season Regular season |- | November: 7–6–1, 15 Points (Home: 1–4–1; Road: 6–2–0) |- | December: 4–6–3, 11 Points (Home: 2–1–2; Road: 2–5–1) |- | January: 7–4–1, 15 Points (Home: 6–3–0; Road: 1–1–1) |- | February: 4–9–1, 9 Points (Home: 2–4–1; Road: 2–5–0) |- | March: 5–8–2, 12 Points (Home: 1–4–2; Road: 4–4–0) |- | April: 1–1–1, 3 Points (Home: 1–0–0; Road: 0–1–1) |} Overtime Statistics Player stats Skaters Goaltenders |} †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Maple Leafs. Stats reflect time with Maple Leafs only. ‡Traded mid-season. Bold/italics denotes franchise record. Awards and records Awards Records Milestones Final roster Updated March 27, 2012. |} Transactions The Maple Leafs have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season. Trades Free agents acquired Free agents lost Claimed via waivers Lost via waivers Lost via retirement Player signings Draft picks Toronto's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota. See also * 2011–12 NHL season References Category:Toronto Maple Leafs seasons Toronto Maple Leafs season, 2011–12